So Tomorrow, It's Smile Away
by EmperorDoofenshmirtz
Summary: Phineas and Ferb embark on their latest project - a virtual reality device, but their usual optimism is threatened by a Smile-Away trainee with a grudge against Ferb. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a Phineas and Ferb story, but honestly, please don't think that the prescence of an OC makes this a self-insert or something. The OC functions as a villain anyway. I'm planning to involve most of the cast, including a Perry sub-plot, and I feel I should warn you there may be some Phinabella. Because, as you know, shipping is serious business.**

* * *

There was a school. A boarding school so horrific and depraved that was said to be run by a man so evil he very well could be a super villain. Well, kind of, because at the Smile Away Reformatory School imagination was, to understate, _discouraged, _and as super villains were a product of the imagination, anyone who voiced this opinion would have been given a night in the box. Regardless, Smile Away was not a nice place.

The hard, unforgiving earth came rushing up to meet the child, who winced as he cracked the side of his face, sending dust everywhere. A very militaristic and very large shadow loomed over the child. The very large shadow, funnily enough, belonged to a very large man, who leaned towards the child, his voice layered with fake sincerity.

"Congratulations," he growled. "You've graduated."

The child turned his head to look at the imposing drill sergeant, no expression on his face.

"Aheheh. Thank you sir." The child's voice was unmistakeably English, and unlike the drill sergeant, his sincerity was genuine.

The drill sergeant curled his lip in distaste. The child still retained its horrible accent, despite all their efforts to quell it. However, he was proud of his accomplishment. Regardless of what people thought of Smile Away and its methods, they would agree that this child's rehabilitation had been a good thing.

"Get out of here, monster," growled the drill sergeant, stepping back towards the entrance of the Reformatory School. "And remember, never become involved in any creative acts."

The child picked himself up, brushing dust from his hair, a puzzled expression on his face.

"But sir," he said quietly. "What if I encounter those who engage in creative acts? Aheheh… Can I put a stop to them? With eh, minimum necessary force, obviously…"

The drill sergeant snorted with laughter, and emitted in a sinister fashion,

"Yes. Yes you can."

The steel doors of the Reformatory School swung shut with a definitive crash, as the child turned to face the city below the school. Danville spread out before him, awaiting the rising sun as two step-brothers began their days activities, no doubt.

The child reached into his pocket for an old, torn photograph of a green haired chil showing a rare smile for the camera. The child momentarily wondered if it was weird to carry a photo of one's arch-enemy, but dismissed as one thought clouded his mind.

"I must bring an end to creativity," he said softly. "I must destroy the symbol of creativity. Phineas and Ferb. Aheheh. Especially Ferb."

The sun rose over-optimistically as the reformed made his way down the hill, chuckling insanely.

Aheheh.

* * *

**If you read this far, what did you think? The next chapter will be longer, this is just the sort of ominous beginning.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everone who took the time to read my last update. As promised, this chapter is longer than the last.**

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen," Phineas announced, with barely concealed excitement, to the small band of friends assembled before him. He paced nimbly back and forth along the small stage – a required platform in order for everyone to be able to see him. He was, after all, rather short. With a showman's flair, he continued, "I'm sure in cartoons and the like; you've occasionally seen virtual reality devices at one point or another. Well, that got us thinking – why haven't we done this yet?"

There were small murmurs from his audience that suddenly dissipated after a threatening cough from a large boy in a Punisher t-shirt. When Buford listened, everyone listened. If Phineas had heard any of this arbitrary scepticism anyway, it was doubtful he would have been offended. The sheer positive energy in his personality rarely let him down.

"Now," he said. "Ferb rightly raised the point that altering your perception of reality can have its downsides – black holes, the wiping of all time and history, doombots, yadda yadda yadda. So, we configured the machines to only be able to work along a form of radio waves, but it's a bit more complicated than that. You enter the pod, whereupon you'll enter an induced sleep, in this dream-like state, we'll be able to contact one another as if we were in the backyard, but we have the power to do anything! We could make things that are impossible even for us! So, without further ado, The Chambers!"

Ferb nodded in confirmation and skilfully whipped a large canvas sheet from what looked like rows upon rows of giant metal eggs.

Phineas scratched his head thoughtfully. He was feeling an odd desire to add '–inator' suffixes to their creations. He dismissed the thought, and added to the crowd,

"The pods contain a safety mechanism, thought activated, for when you want to exit. Oh, and don't try to create any food, 'cause Adyson had to go home after we tried it the last time." In a lower voice, he addressed a girl directly below, who was gazing at him adoringly, "Isabella, has Adyson stopped throwing up yet?" His concern, despite the ridiculous scenario, was genuine.

Isabella smiled as she replied, "Yeah, but she's still shaky on her feet. But she's a Fireside Girl – I've trained them for much worse."

"Well that's a relief. Okay people, I'm starting the machines, get ready for the best day ever!"

As the crowd approached the multiple VR pods, awaiting the wonders the step-brothers had created just for them, a teenage girl shifted uncomfortably in her rooftop perch, keeping the strange machines in her view at all times. Candace had reached a point in her list of failures where she had realised her trend was hard to break. So, she reasoned, if I'm doomed to failure, I'm at least going to fail as comfortably as possible. She adjusted the mattress she was lying on so that it rested against the upward angle of the roof, and she reclined while reaching for the soda cans she had brought up by the multipack. Relaxed, relaxed, she thought repeatedly, under the assumption that you can force a personality change. She stretched out her legs, and prepared to catch a tan.

"You know, Kevin, ignoring them doesn't make them disappear."

Candace opened one eye in annoyance. Sure enough, the zebra was there, hovering cross-legged, one hoof keeping a place in the novel he had apparently been reading.

"If I ignore you, do you disappear?" Candace asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

"It doesn't work that way, Kevin." The zebra glanced at his book, apparently anxious to return to reading it. "You know it could be today. It could finally be YOUR day."

"So could tomorrow! I'm tired, okay? It's very stressful being this obsessive."

The zebra looked sad for a moment.

"Come on Candace, cheer up! The sun'll come up, to-morrow…"

"Goodbye," said Candace, closing her eye again.

The zebra sighed, and glanced at his book again.

"Incidentally, Kevin, do you know if Raskolnikov ever gets caught? I'm like halfway through and I want to find out now."

There was no reply from Candace. The girl has dozed off, achieving some well-needed rest. The zebra shrugged and summoned a rocking chair from nowhere, and sat and resumed reading.

"I'll keep watch Kevin. I'll wake you up when it's time for your psychotic rant to your mom." The zebra glanced around. "Hey, where's that semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal of action?"

* * *

A great light shone from the top of the mayor's office, projecting the Perry-Signal onto the cloudy sky. Two silhouettes stood in front of the signal, wind dramatically blowing their hair backwards. The older of the two was about to strike a match when a third figure dropped from above, turning into a combat roll upon approaching the ground, and landed on his feet. The third figure stood, intimidating and emanating danger. He also happened to be a platypus.

"Ah, Agent P," began the elderly man. "Glad you could make it. You are this city's only hope. Corruption and decadence run through our city like, uh, corruption and decadence running through a city, I guess…"

From beneath the fedora, the platypus raised an eyebrow.

"Ah," said Major Monogram. "Doofenshmirtz? Well, uh, we spent so much time and money arranging this pop-culture reference that… Okay, I'll be honest; I have no idea what Doofenshmirtz is up to."

The platypus nodded curtly and turned to leave – he had been expecting something stupid like this anyway. He ran to the edge of roof, the light from the Perry-Signal eclipsing him from view.

"Go get 'em, tiger!" cried the teenage boy standing behind Monogram, as Agent P leapt from the roof to the strains of overly-dramatic music.

* * *

Isabella was strolling through lush green fields, the smell of spring in her nostrils, but pleasantly, not the smell of methane. She paused and thought for a moment and then with a wave of her hand, conjured a unicorn from mid-air and climbed onto its ornate saddle.

"Charge!"

The unicorn fleetly ran across the field, as sparkles and rainbows trailed behind it. In fact the sheer amount of sparkles caused a weak form of diabetes in Buford and Baljeet as the unicorn rode past them.

"Hi Isabella. Whatcha doin?"

Isabella's eyes opened wide as she realised Phineas was trotting beside her, his usual oblivious grin on his face. She glanced around and realised they were alone together. A mild explosion occurred in her mind as both joy and nerves clashed.

"Um… where's Ferb?" She asked, unsure of how to proceed.

Phineas frowned for a moment.

"He's conjured all these women wearing leather and they're performing some weird dance number. I don't understand why. It's the same women from those magazines he reads."

Isabella suddenly wished she hadn't asked, but then Phineas changed the subject.

"Watch this, though!" he exclaimed, and waved his hand at his lower body, causing it to transform into the body of a horse. Isabella made a funny squeaking sound as Centaur Phineas stood before her, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair. This sudden development caused sheer nerves and panic to overcome Isabella, and she stuttered out an excuse.

"I… I'm not feeling to great right now," she stammered. "I'm gonna s-step out of the machine for a bit…"

Phineas looked a little disappointed, but merely said, "That's too bad. Get well soon!" and galloped over the meadow into the distance.

"e-Exit." Isabella muttered, and the dreamland melted away, replaced by hissing as the pod door opened, and she stepped out into the familiar backyard. A brief shock of rage coursed through her and she slammed her fist against the pod.

"I love you," she mouthed to herself. "I love…"

She looked up as a loud clank emanated from along the row of pods. Puzzled, Isabella started down the row glancing at the machines as she did.

* * *

Aheheh. He nimbly stepped among the various sets of wires until he reached the two pods he was looking for. He glanced at the plans that Ferb had left lying on the grass.

"Tt. VR, eh? Bit clichéd, Ferb, if you don't mind me saying."

He reached over to see the screen adorning Ferb's pod, on which an odd scene was carrying out. Apparently, Ferb was engaged in a dance number with numerous leather-clad Goths.

"Aheheh," he mumbled softly. "Always a ladies' man."

"What are you doing?"

He panicked and fumbled the plans, dropping them, and turned to see this new arrival. Isabella was glaring at him accusingly.

"Who are you?" she asked, strafing around him, her crazy-prepared Fireside Girl training keeping her on the edge.

He returned the strafing, and the two began to circle one another.

"My name is Thomas. Thomas Rains, actually. You're friends of these two?"

Isabella looked hurt for a moment.

"Of course I am."

The inklings of a plan began to stir in Thomas' brain. He glanced at the screen on Ferb's pod again. An unsettling grin began to cross his face.

"More than friends?"

Isabella paused in her circling.

"I'm not sure I like you."

Ladies' man. Ladies' man. Ladies' man… Thomas reached for the spare parts that Phineas had left lying around. His hands came across some rope. The grin continued to widen, until he was left resembling the Grinch after Botox surgery.

"Aheheh. You," he growled menacingly, "are going to prove… _instrumental_."

Rains began to advance slowly towards her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again, and thanks for the reviews. Tjis chapter's quite a bit longer - I'm away next week (in England, funnily enough), so in case I don't update next week, I made this one longer. Here's where things take a turn for the dark and I have a hard time balancing the humour and the drama.**

* * *

There was a loud hiss as the doors to the VR pod slid back, and Ferb sat upright. He blinked once or twice, eyes becoming used to the bright, dancing lady-free, light. He lightly hopped onto the ground only for his foot to crunch on something. He glanced down at what appeared to be one of his tools.

Something's wrong, he thought. I left my tools in the box. In alphabetical order, to boot. Someone's knocked them over.

His large eyes scanned the surrounding are until he noticed another problem – someone had tampered with the mainframe, and evidently had removed one of the VR pods. Fleetly, he ran over to where one of his precious machines should have been. From memory, he recalled it being Isabella's. The ground surrounding the crime scene was badly disturbed – the machine had, with some effort been dragged, and, judging from the scrapes on the concrete, some distance. Ferb glanced down once again as a piece of paper was blown against his leg. With his typical caution, he picked it up and read with impressive speed.

_Dear Ferb,_

_It's wonderful to meet you again. Aheheh. God, I even have to write my verbal tic? Ahe- No! I'm going to communicate like a normal person. Anyway, I had a wonderful chat with your girlfriend. Well, actually, I knocked her out and stuffed her in that stupid chamber of yours. Lovely name, Isabella. Lovely eyes too. Big blue ones. You know how this is going to work don't you? Typical hostage exchange. The old abandoned Old Abandoned Amusement Park. The haunted house. Come alone. Or I'll wear those big blue eyes as a necklace._

_Thomas_

_PS, Your girl is surprisingly strong. I think she broke my nose._

Ferb's eyes widened and he visibly shook for possibly the first time in his life. He glanced at his step-brother's pod. Phineas and Isabella… He couldn't explain this to Phineas. He wouldn't understand, and besides, this was Ferb's mess.

He crumpled the piece of paper and through it to the ground, marching towards the old theme park, as his thoughts drifted to the past.

* * *

_Six Years Ago_

_Ferb opened the gate to the back garden, usual lack of expression on his face, to be confronted with a sight that any other child would find extremely odd. A small, blond haired boy was leaning into the engine of the frontal car of a roller coaster, welding the final pieces into place. At the sound of the gate swinging open, the child leaned back, a huge grin on his face._

_"Well, Ferb, it's taken a week, but I know what we're going to do today. I can see it already – sprawling across the city! It's gonna go through Big Ben, and the Tower, and the…"_

_"You'll have to finish it yourself," said Ferb, looking at the ground._

_The blond child snorted. "Don't be dense. You need to fix the wheels on the backing cart – you made them all wrong."_

_If Ferb had even registered the low key verbal abuse, he didn't show it. He sheepishly prodded at the grass with his feet._

_"Thomas, I told you weeks ago – I'm moving to the States. Going to have new family."_

_Thomas stopped in his machinery workings for a moment. His face bathed in shadow, he spoke quietly._

_"No – you are going to fix the coaster."_

_Ferb frowned, a flicker of sadness crossing his face._

_"I'm going today. Don't pretend you had no idea."_

_The engine cover slammed shut angrily, and Thomas whirled round swiftly, teeth bared._

_"LIAR! I hate liars! You kept me in the dark, you traitor! You're all, 'oh I'm good old reliable Silent Bob to my face', but behind my back, you're just another boring pleb!"_

_Ferb's face became stony, and his eyebrows narrowed. This was long past criticism, and he'd had enough. He knew he'd feel bad later, but calmly stated,_

_"I could have finished that coaster in an hour."_

_Thomas snarled, his face baying forward, froth beginning to flow from his mouth. His hair began to fall across his face, as he began to speak in a slow, menacing growl._

_"So, I'm just holding you back, am I? You're nothing without me, you snivelling wimp! I'm your only friend in the whole world, and you turn round and treat me like dirt?"_

_The fuming, almost rabid child advanced on Ferb, head still low, eyes swivelling madly in their sockets. With a sudden burst of energy, Thomas shot forward, drawing his fist back and then forward with all of his strength. He felt the power surge through his arm, but it was quickly replaced by pain as his fist ended its journey prematurely, in Ferb's grasp. Ferb held tightly onto Thomas' fist and for a brief moment, realised the power he had over the abusive sociopath. Not worth it, he thought – I'm leaving anyway._

_Thomas winced in pain and began to sink to the ground, when he suddenly found himself flying through the air as Ferb flicked away his arm. He landed rather painfully on the coaster, and lay still, but evidently fine, as he managed to grunt out a phrase that rhymed with 'wuggery duck'._

_Ferb's face was marred with concern, but his voice contained the usual lack of emotion._

_"Goodbye."_

_And with that, Ferb left the garden, and soon after, England itself – for the start of the most idyllic life he could have hoped for. And meanwhile, back in that garden, a small boy began to develop a strange vocalisation._

_"Ow. Jeez… ah… ha. Ahe…fnk! Aheh. Aheheh."_

* * *

Isabella was trapped. The clinical white interior of the pod hurt her eyes as she started awake. Half-heartedly, she pounded at the doors with her fists, already aware that the creepy stranger had padlocked them shut. It was more to keep her sane than anything else.

"Aheheh," came the voice, echoing around the pod. "How was virtual reality? You must be wondering why I woke you up. Well, I just thought I'd tell you a little secret. Seems appropriate you being a Fireside Girl, because I'm going to set fire to this little pod while your boyfriend Ferb watches."

There were a million possible angry or shocked responses Isabella thought of to this statement, but for some reason the first thing that came out was,

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"SHUT UP!" The sudden outburst was amplified inside the chamber, and Isabella had to cover her ears for a moment. "Of course he is. Y'see, my girl, Rousseau was wrong. I know you don't even know why I'm doing this, or why I picked you, but you need to learn that this planet sucks. It's not all fun and games. I'm bringing some much needed order to Danville, and in a sort of bonus, I'm also getting some revenge."

Isabella, in the cramped space began to reach behind her back for her Fireside Girl Swiss Army knife. She unhooked the blade and silently jammed it between the doors, and twisted it so the door was slightly ajar. Due to the padlock, this would not aid her in an escape, but it would prevent the gas from sending her back to sleep when Thomas turned the machine on again.

"Y'know," she said loudly, covering the sounds of this delicate operation. "When I get out of here, nothing's going to stop me from getting to you."

"QUIET! Aheheh."

Isabella immediately assessed the child from his speech patterns. His frequent outbursts proved that he was unstable, but also told her that he was insecure – he was clearly improvising most of his plans.

"Ferb could easily defeat you anyway," she continued. "I'm guessing he's beaten you before, right? He's gonna beat you, then he's gonna let me out, and I'm gonna beat you, and then I'm going to call the Fireside Girls, and they're gonna…"

"Shut up. Now. I'm sending you back to dreamland." Isabella heard the flicking of switches and stopped talking – if he thought she was asleep, she had an advantage.

* * *

No-one batted an eye-lid as a fedora-wearing platypus swung though the city with the use of a grappling hook – the people of Danville were well accustomed to such things. With a precision swing, Perry launched himself through the window of a large purple skyscraper, and sequenced into his usual combat roll as he landed in a clichéd evil lair.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus," said the occupant of said building, emerging from the shadows like a giant praying mantis. "As usual, you have reminded me to invest in double glazing…"

The man pressed on remote control clutched it his awkward grip and a huge hiking shoe dropped from the ceiling, imprisoning the platypus in the hole where the presumably giant foot would have been.

"I knew there would be a better use for the Unstuck-inator!" Doofenshmirtz gloated. "I cut some eye-holes in the heel for you."

Sure enough, Agent P's eyes became visible through some sloppily bored openings. Doofenshmirtz checked his watch, waiting for his cue to begin. Evidently, it did, as he soon sprang in to action.

"Well, Perry the Platypus, I'm sure you're aware that I'm, err, _cómo se dice_, 'down with da kids', and have my own cell phone." He briefly waved a large, brick-shaped device that had a huge antennae emerging from it. "However, it's so difficult for me to remember the number – I mean I already have a home number to remember, plus my credit cards, social security, yadda yadda yadda. So, I thought, in my divine wisdom, how can I remember this number?"

The doctor walked over to a device blocked from view by tarpaulin, but it was painfully obvious that it was a typical laser device underneath. Doofenshmirtz whipped away the tarpaulin as dramatic music punctuated his next sentence.

"Behold! The Carve-inator!"

* * *

Thomas sat with his head on the electronics panel, eyes closed, sweating profusely. He was in the control room for the haunted house, allowing him to see all of the attraction from behind a safely locked door. Behind him, the large Virtual Reality pod hummed gently, but to Thomas it was like someone was pounding on his head. He did not look well. His already pale skin had acquired a sickly green tinge to it. It was the girl, he realized. She had got to him with her petty threats and insults. It had taken him this long to realize that he was scared. Scared of his ineptitude, the reformatory school, even the Fireside Girls. In his left temple, a vein began throbbing violently. He opened his watering eyes and glanced around for something that could comfort him. His eyes rested on the piles and piles of gasoline tanks he had stored and he breathed a sigh of relief. He still had the upper-hand, and Ferb was likely to do anything to save Alyson, or Sarah, or whatever the girl's name was. It surprised him that he'd already forgotten her name.

He stood shakily, and without aim, began pacing the small room, muttering all the while.

"Aheheh. Not long. Deal with these too – then with Phineas. Bring order to Danville. Punish creativity. Oh god." He sank to his knees and gazed at the ceiling. He began to weakly sing a vaguely remembered chorus as the tears began running down his face. "Can you hear the choir now? Listen to the animals sing… Can't you hear the slaughter house bells? In the land of the pig, the butcher is king!"

A creaking noise interrupted his ramblings and hallucinations, and he ran to the observation area of the control room. Below him, he saw the entirety of the haunted house, and at the entrance, a tall, green-haired child, beginning his journey through the decrepit attraction.

"Aheheh. Silent Bob cometh."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Originally Thomas sang in this chapter, but I removed it - basically because I suck at rhyming, and it was way too dark. Also, this isn't the only chapter with a flashback - there is more to the backstory. So, bye for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again. Update's a little late, but I was in England until a few hours ago. This story's getting fairly dark and the drama is eclipsing the humour, but a big thanks to those who continue to read this.**

* * *

"Candace? Candace?"

She was expecting the zebra, but it was Phineas who stood before her when she opened her eyes.

"What is it?" Candace yawned.

Phineas' triangular head pointed downward, his eyes glancing up unhappily.

"I can't find Isabella or Ferb. Isabella went home, but her mom hasn't seen her, and Ferb never usually wanders off."

Candace closed her eyes again, far too relaxed for any of this information to sink in.

"They're probably with your creepy English friend. The one that sounds like John Hurt." She muttered, turning onto her stomach to protect her skin, which, she suspected, was burning – there was a definite smell of bacon. However, Phineas interrupted her again.

"I don't have a creepy English friend that sounds like John Hurt."

Candace opened her eyes, which bulged slightly.

"The one that was talking to Isabella. I fell asleep and when I woke up again, they were gone. Probably a Scout or something." Candace lapsed into silence for a moment, as a sudden panic began to overwhelm her. She was supposed to be in charge. People were missing. She swiftly leapt from her prone position to glance at the VR pods down below. Suddenly she grabbed Phineas by the shirt collar, lifting him to eye-level.

"What's happened?" She cried, eyes swivelling madly.

Phineas had absolutely no reaction to this elevation in height, and Candace briefly wondered if he was even ware that he wasn't touching the ground.

"I need your help Candace," he said, his normal voice marred by a depressed tone. "You watch the news, right? We need to find them."

Candace's face softened, and she lowered Phineas down, taking several deep breaths. Her brother's face was heartbreaking, and for once, she thought, for once, she would be a proper sister. Her eyes surveyed the pods below, finally settling on a crumpled piece of paper lying in the grass. She glanced to her side to see the zebra materialise.

"Time to use your busting skills Kevin."

* * *

Doofenshmirtz grasped at the handle of the Carve-inator, still fixed on Agent P, explaining his plan in great detail.

"So," he continued. "In order to remember my cell number, I'm going to carve it into the mountainside and I'll always be able to give out my number. In fact, I won't need to – someone will go like 'dude, what's your number', and I'll be all 'just look outside'. Uh-huh," he concluded, moving his head from side to side in what was presumably another demonstration of how he was 'down with da kids'. The doctor closed his eyes and smirked in self-satisfaction. "What do you think of…"

He opened his eyes and realised that Perry was no longer beneath the giant shoe. He gulped audibly and cautiously edged toward the trap.

"Hello? Perry the Platypus? What do I pay the agency for, a potted plant?"

Suddenly Agent P appeared on top of the shoe, expertly twirling a giant shoelace. With some skill, he whipped it forward, striking Doofenshmirtz on the back with a comedic slapping noise. The Doctor yelled in pain, exclaiming,

"Owowowowow – Oh, the aglet makes it sting so much more than it should!"

Agent P leapt to the ground, still advancing on Doofenshmirtz with his improvised whip. His nemesis backed away slowly, until his back came into contact with his desk. Doofenshmirtz felt around the desk for a weapon, and succeeded - he suddenly thrust forward, parrying the strikes of the aglet with his ancient oversized cell phone. The platypus was now the one forced back as the odd couple began their usual bizarre duel of the day. It was no wonder that the floor directly below was often vacant.

* * *

Ferb walked along the rows of the decrepit house, glancing at the broken models of ghosts and zombies, but paying them no interest. Instead, all of his attention was focused on the voice coming over the PA system. His face was unusually contorted by emotion – a bizarre mixture of guilt and hatred. He knew he should probably plan this, but all of his thoughts were for Isabella's safety – for some reason, he thought, she was part of his family. Well, he knew the reason – it was pretty obvious that one day she'd be his sister-in-law.

"Aheheh there, piiiillllggriim," the PA crackled into life. "I'm in the control room, it's kind of a walk from where you are, but we'll have a chat while you walk. Of course, I'll do most of the talking. Ahe…" The voice briefly cut off to be replaced by a horrid retching sound, before it returned. "…ew…. That looks like carrot… I'm definitely not well… Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, it's time you hear, and understand me here Ferb, in order for you to understand what a horrible person you are. You think you're some kind of hero, don't you? Coming in to save your girl. Here, if you love her so much why don't you marry her? BECAUSE I WON'T LET YOU! I checked by the way – turns out she didn't break my nose. I might break hers though. Aheheh. You just keep on walking, whilst I illuminate you…"

* * *

_I was born in August, 1999. Upon delivery, the doctor drops me. I strike my head, but there is no apparent damage. Fortunately, my mother is able to sue the doctor, and in turn, the NHS. We are able to move to a better neighbourhood, thanks to this, and a promotion for my father. My mother resolves to protect me no matter what._

_Mother dies. Dementia takes her in 2001, and my father is forced to look after me, despite his work. He is usually occupied with business, and so I am left to myself most of the time. I enjoy this – I prefer the company of machines to that of humans. Machines do as I say, without question. Imagine my surprise when I meet a green-haired boy in the park one day who acts just as I have come to realise a person should – he follows my lead without question, and rarely speaks. We first meet in 2002, when I encountered him being bullied due to his shyness. I break the bullies' thumbs. He begins to hang around me, obeying my commands, and I suddenly realise that I enjoy his company. He can be rather funny sometimes, and I can always rely on him._

_I have a friend. My first and only._

_In early 2004 I hit Ferb for the first time. I have heard that I am supposed to feel remorse, but it was due to his own incompetence – as usual, I have to show him exactly how it is done. He looks at me strangely, so I hit him again. I tell him its his own fault and that he should spend less time visiting those Americans._

_That summer, he leaves abruptly, and even has the arrogance to strike me! In my righteous anger, I destroy the rollercoaster I have been working so hard on, and that he has obviously sabotaged. The engine is the last bit to burn, but Ferb has clearly rigged it out of spite, and the resulting explosion sets fire to most of the houses. My father misunderstands me, and the authorities (bribed, perhaps?) lie to him, saying that I am an arsonist. I am sent to a reformatory school in the US. The stress causes me to develop a distinctive verbal tic._

_At this school I meet the drill sergeant, and know instantly that one day I will replace him. He talks about order and discipline, and I reply that hate too is instrumental. I am singled out of the recruits as something special, and am subjected to all of the new experiments._

_I am honoured._

_The school teaches me how wrong I was in my pursuit of fun – in a meaningless existence, I am taught, we must strive to bring meaning, and order. Those who engage in creative acts are unstable and dangerous._

_I tell the drill sergeant about Ferb and his betrayal. The sergeant has heard of him and tells me of two step-brothers doing amazing things in Danville, and how I, and others like me, are destined to stop them. That night I am put through a lobotomy. I feel no difference, except increased sweating and vomiting. This marks my graduation. After six long years, I step into the real world again. I do not wait for my father to pick me up. I am ascendant, the bringer of order, justice and revenge. And I will enjoy it._

* * *

Thomas lifted his finger off of the PA system, and opened the window of the control room, allowing him to slip down onto the top of the hall of mirrors. Ferb was directly below him, heading towards the stairs. Thomas was well aware of Ferb's strength and speed, and knew that surprise was the only option. As Ferb passed him, reflected in all of the mirrors, the psychopath dropped heavily onto his shoulders, knocking him over. Ferb recovered quickly, turning, ready to retaliate, but Thomas knocked him aside again with a brutal kick to the face. Ferb swung his feet around, clipping Thomas' ankles, and allowing the Fletcher boy to get briefly to his feet. Ferb raised his fist, but Thomas charged forward, carrying the larger boy straight into the mirror with a resounding crash. As the glass shattered, Ferb sank to floor, stunned and confused. He managed to speak, his voice containing immeasurable amounts of venom.

"Thomas. Let her go."

Thomas threw up violently and wiped his brow. He looked very poor, but he was still much more able than Ferb at the present.

"What sort of person just abandons a friend? You meet someone, someone who's like family, or better, and you just ABANDON THEM!" Thomas' mouth foamed, and he resembled some horrible Lovecraftian monster in the dim light. "Well, now you're going to lose a friend Ferb."

Thomas hauled Ferb out of the broken glass and dragged him towards the stairs to the control room.

"Let's see how well your girlfriend functions as firewood. Aheheh."

* * *

Phineas stood before the haunted house, dwarfed by its foreboding presence. He held Thomas' note in his hand, which was visibly shaking. Ferb was in there. Isabella was in danger, and although he was resolved to rescuing her, he could not bring himself to enter the house. He didn't find haunted houses inherently scary – after all, he had built one before – but this one seemed like a vast cave before him, as if he was venturing into the unknown. There came an odd feeling in his stomach that he hadn't experienced before. Whatever it was, it arrived when he thought of Isabella. He suddenly clenched his fist, crushing the note. He would rescue Isabella (and Ferb too), but he uncharacteristically added a secondary objective – this Thomas, this infiltrator and stalker would be brought to justice for what he'd done.

Candace stood beside him, a worried look on her face.

"You're sure?" she said.

Phineas' voice was cheerful, but shaky. "I'm sure. I'll get Isabella and Ferb. You go get the police. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine."

He took a deep breath and entered the house.

* * *

**Phew! Probably the darkest so far, even if most of it was backstory. Phineas will be used more in the future - I promise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back again, and thanks for reading and reviewing. Not much to say here except this is the penultimate chapter, and wherein lies quite a bit of action. Enjoy.**

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* * *

**Ferb had closed his eyes for half a second before the foot slammed into his face. The impact sent him sprawling onto the floor again.

"Aheheh. That looked like it hurt."

As Ferb raised himself up on his hands, he let out a gasp of pain and a second kick connected with his ribs. He fell back onto the floor and turned his head up towards his torturer. Thomas stood before him, a smug smile on his pale features, casually flicking at a Zippo lighter.

"I told you to watch." Thomas muttered, and turned to the gasoline containers. He reached for the first, and emptied it around the base of the VR pod. If he had been more observant, he would have heard venomous muttering coming from the pod. Ferb coughed up some blood noisily, and Thomas turned around again.

"What now?"

Ferb, in between anguished spluttering, managed to cough out.

"Phineas…"

Thomas snorted with laughter.

"Silent Bob, the only way Phineas could be any danger to me would be if you picked him up by the legs and used him as a sword. Be realistic. Your girlfriend, actually, seems to be the only competent one. Good thing I caught her by surprise. Heh – I bet your wondering why I'm not drenching the actual pod. I want to light a trail, so you can watch it burn slowly. Actually, if I've read these plans correctly, the thing'll explode. Nice send-off, huh?"

Thomas paused, looking contemplative for a moment. With sudden vicious power, he delivered another kick to his downed rival.

"Shall I get back to work now? Aheheh."

* * *

As Phineas walked through the house, he became distinctly aware of another presence. Upon glancing to his side, he was startled to see Isabella, lazily hovering beside him.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Isabella!" Phineas exclaimed, running forward to embrace her. However he passed right through her, hitting his nose off of the wall in the process. He turned, puzzled, to see the hovering figure grinning at him.

"I'm not the real Isabella, moron. You're hallucinating. Not surprising, given the history of mental health in your immediate family."

Phineas frowned, scratching at his ear.

"How can I be hallucinating?"

"You're terrified, I expect. Come on, get up."

The fake Isabella began to drift off lazily down the hall, and Phineas followed after her, trotting at a light pace. His voice was badly shaking.

"Terrified of what?"

The spectre's head twisted round 180 degrees.

"Of Thomas. Of losing Ferb or Isabella. But mostly, of me."

Phineas didn't reply, earnestly keeping in pace with the manifestation.

"I mean, how stupid are you? You can't keep repressing this. You've just dived into the unknown to save this girl. You're making Freud face palm, moron."

Phineas began to form a question, but choked on his words, stumbling slightly in his confusion. The spectre either didn't notice, or didn't care, as it was lowly crooning a song to itself, a slightly malicious look on its face.

"_Take a break and smell these flowers, underneath the Eiffel Tower_," The spirit then spoke in a creepily perfect imitation of Phineas. "_I wonder if they still have pieces of that hanging around. The rivets could come in handy._"

"W-what are you talking about?" said Phineas finally gaining the courage to speak.

"I'm…" The hallucination turned its head and realised that it had reached the stairs to the control room. "Oh. We're here."

Phineas looked up at the ominous control centre hanging above him. He shivered slightly, but was aware he had long since passed the point of no return. The fake Isabella, turned to him, a genuine smile on its face.

"Good luck. Keep him talking for as long as possible."

"You're not coming?"

"I can't. The fact that I don't exist being the major obstacle."

The door to the stairs creaked open, and Phineas stepped inside, and began to make his way up the stairs. Halfway up, the spirit called to him.

"Be careful. He's mad, you know."

Phineas blanched slightly. "I don't know if I can deal with a mad person."

"Oh it can't be helped. We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad."

Phineas immediately recognised the reference, but felt obliged to respond to the hovering Isabella.

"How do you know I'm mad?"

"You must be," it giggled, and began to fade away. Eventually it completely disappeared, only its voice remaining. "Or else you wouldn't have come here."

Phineas shook his head and blinked several times. He was still completely unsure of what his sub-conscious had been trying to tell him. He sighed, and resumed climbing the steel stairs, before pausing at the door to the control room. He took a deep breath, and opened it.

The sight that stood before him was at once, strange and terrifying. Trails of gasoline ran the length of the room, pooling into cloudy puddles at random, and generally moving toward the white, clinical pod in the centre of the room. At the far end, a child stood with his back to Phineas, kicking at a heap on the ground.

"Aheheh. Try to attack me again, and I'll break your other finger. You stoic piece of…"

"Enough." It took Phineas a moment to realise the voice came from his own mouth.

The figure turned slowly and stepped into the light, a pale, thin boy of average height, dark eyes shadowed by greasy, tangled blond hair.

"Ah. Hello Phineas. Ferb thought you'd show up."

Phineas glanced around the side of the skeletal antagonist, confirming his fears that the crumpled mess lying in the corner was, in fact, Ferb. Slowly, anger bubbled from his feet upwards, and for the first time, he turned as red as his hair.

"Please," he said, his good nature still struggling through, "Let them go."

"Hey, relax," said Thomas, strafing around towards the pod. "Ferb's girlfriend's about to get Dixie fried."

"Ferb's girlfriend?"

Thomas' eyes widened in realisation, and he glanced from Ferb to the pod. He mouthed a swear word underneath his breath.

"I thought…Bloody pairings. Note to self – I now ship the less likely couples…" Thomas paused, having realised something. "Ah… she matters to you, doesn't she?"

If Phineas hadn't already been red with anger, his blushing would have been very visible.

Thomas drew out the Zippo lighter and flicked it expertly, a single flame sparking into life.

"Lighten up, kid. Don't let life get you down. Aheheh."

* * *

Perry swung around the Carve-inator to deliver a kick to his nemesis' face, sending the Doctor sprawling. The egg-laying mammal of action ran forward, swinging his shoelace-whip above his head, ready to strike, when Doofenshmirtz swiped at him with his comically sized cell phone. The impact knocked Agent P straight back into the Carve-inator, which in response set out a short yellow burst of laser flying though Danville.

* * *

Just as Thomas prepared to drop the lighter, the beam sliced through the control room, causing him to panic and snap the lighter shut, extinguishing the flame. When he regained his composure, he saw something that was almost certainly bad for him.

"Oh bugger."

The strange beam that had sot out of nowhere had cut straight through the padlock of the pod, rendering it completely useless.

"It's okay," muttered Thomas, more to himself than to Phineas, as he felt the bile rise in his stomach. "She's still sedated, she's still…"

The pod doors burst open violently as the leader of the Fireside Girls propelled herself from her cell, face contorted with pure, yet cold anger. Landing gracefully on her feet, Isabella looked up darkly at her former captor.

"Told ya." She smiled, but there was no warmth in it, and her eyes reflected pure malice.

Thomas threw up against the control panel, and began to back away slowly.

"Aheheh. Can't we talk about…"

He never finished his sentence, as Isabella's tiny fist smashed into his face with surprising strength and speed. Thomas hit the ground instantly, and looked up at his aggressor.

"No rope. No surprise. No advantages," she said grimly. "Just you, and me."

Phineas and Ferb both moved forward as if to say something, but seemed to think better of it and moved back. Thomas seemed to understand Isabella, and launched himself upward, in an attempt to claw at her eyes. With great ease, Isabella caught his arms and swung him into the wall with a satisfying 'crack', and he slid back onto the floor. As he struggled to stand, swearing underneath his breath, Isabella's fist connected with his face a second and final time, his nose finally breaking under the pressure. Thomas fell back, and into unconsciousness. Isabella stood there for a moment, gazing at her handiwork and breathing deeply. She then turned, her face back to normal, and the usual sweetness in her voice restored.

"So Phineas," she smiled. "Whatcha doin'?"

Phineas began to smile, and then impulsively ran forward, embracing the girl in a tight hug that lifted he off of her feet. Isabella swooned and the twos' faces moved closer together…

"Excuse me?" spluttered Ferb. "I'm quite hurt. Could you love birds give me a hand."

The two separated, ginning sheepishly, crossing the room and helping Ferb to his feet. Supporting him on their shoulders, the small band of brothers, and girl from across the street began to head for the exit. Joyful music swelled in the air, and the three heroically walked off together – only to be interrupted.

"Aheheh," said Thomas through mouthfuls of blood. "Did you think this was over?"

And then he dropped the Zippo lighter onto the gasoline.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Finale next week!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Final chapter, and definetly the longest. I think this story (or mini-series, really) shows a sort of British Brevity. Thanks for everone who's stuck through to the end, and another thanks to everone who reviewed.**

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The fire spread quickly, swirling and coiling around the trails of gasoline, covering most of the room. It had seemingly burst from the lighter, roaring towards the group, obscuring their vision with a fearsome orange wave. Isabella stumbled back slightly, shielding her face from the heat while remaining supportive of Ferb's weight. Phineas struggled to help her as he too felt his brother's increasing load. Ferb seemed all too aware of this.

"Let me go." He said through gritted teeth. "Get out. I'm sorry."

Phineas shrugged off the remarks, some of his confidence returning.

"Relax, Ferb. We're getting you out of this."

A sudden burst of flame roared forward, and the trio swerved quickly (and painfully, in Ferb's case), narrowly avoiding the destructive force, which was beginning to reach towards the wooden rafters. Over the sound of the blaze however, there was something far more disturbing.

"FERB!" Thomas snarled. Behind the flames a moving shadow was visible, stalking back and forth, searching for an exit. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? THIS IS THE END! FOR YOU, THAT GINGER SHORT ROUND AND THAT HATEFUL B-!"

The shadow stumbled to avoid a falling rafter, momentarily stunned in its ranting. Isabella frowned. Despite the impending flames, she voiced her annoyance.

"Did he just call me a witch?" She said, coughing as the smoke began to thicken.

"Rhymes with it," mumbled Ferb drowsily. Phineas looked at his brother.

"The smoke!" It had slipped his mind that the flames were the least of his concern. "We need to get out of here!"

"The door's blocked!" cried Isabella.

"There has to be something!"

There was. In the centre of the room, flames finally engulfed the VR pod, and the world held still for one silent moment. Then a devastating explosion shook the room, cracking the roof and causing more rafters to fall. The wall nearest the pod was blown open, debris falling out into the amusement park. The floor beneath the pod gave way, and the remnants of one of Phineas and Ferb's triumphs plummeted downwards towards further destruction.

Phineas immediately began leading his two friends towards the destroyed wall, occasionally hindered by small bursts of flame and dangerously unstable floors. Upon reaching it, he glanced down. It was a short drop to freedom, but he rationalised that the grass would take off quite a bit of the impact.

"We're gonna have to jump!" he called over his shoulder. "Isabella, you go first, so that you can help Ferb!"

Isabella complied wordlessly, nimbly hopping off of the ledge and landing fairly well on the ground five feet below. She grunted in momentary pain, before turning to look up at Phineas who smiled at her.

"Okay, Ferb," said Phineas, looking at his increasingly pained brother. "It's your-!"

He was cut off as Thomas came leaping through the flames like maddened hell spawn, snarling furiously. The sociopath's overcoat and Smile Away jumpsuit were beginning to catch fire, but he was far too enraged to notice. Thomas lunged toward Ferb, pulling him violently from Phineas' grasp. This sudden loss of balance caused Phineas to stumble backwards, teetering over the ledge for a moment, before he plummeted outside, fortunately to land in Isabella's arms.

Thomas' face appeared over the ledge, peering down at Phineas.

"Some alone time? Aheheh." he said in an irritating manner, before disappearing back into the building.

"Ferb!" Phineas called franticly, wildly looking around for some way to return to his brother's side. Isabella set him down, pointing towards something in the distance.

"Phineas, look!"

"BIG DAMN HERO TIME!" screamed a familiar teenage voice. "And that's about all the swearing there is in this thing!"

Candace leaned out of the window of the rapidly approaching police car, followed by a whole precinct and flanked by several fire engines. She saw Isabella and Phineas standing beside the burning attraction, covered in grime and dirt. She barked violently at the officer driving the car.

"One of them is still in there!"

The convoy of emergency services pulled to an immediate stop, and Candace darted from the car and began pointing at the haunted house hopping up and down on the spot.

"GO! GO! GO!"

The fire-fighters rushed forward, efficiently connecting their hose to a conveniently placed fire hydrant and Isabella briefly wondered who had the foresight to place a fire hydrant _there_.

* * *

Thomas glanced out at the approaching rescuers. His hair had fallen around his face, damp with sweat, his features obscured by smoke and grime. He grabbed Ferb's collar and dragged the boy towards him.

"Aheheh. This is how it ends for us, Silent Bob. It doesn't matter if those firemen burst in right now. Far too late."

He began to shuffle towards the fire, grinning horribly, tears cutting clear paths through the dirt on his face. Ferb struggled weakly in his grasp, trying in vain to break free. Thomas wiped some blood from his broken nose and looked at Ferb.

"I'm putting an end to your creativity Ferb," he said quietly. "And I'm gaining revenge. But most importantly, I'm putting an end to everything. We'll be free soon. This world has caused me unimaginable amounts of pain." He pointed to lobotomy scars near his hairline.

"But I'm going to leave it a better place than I find it."

Thomas then began to raise Ferb off of the ground, preparing to hurl him into the flames. The smoke clouded his vision, and quite possibly his mind, but he heard Ferb mutter something. Frowning, he brought the boy back towards him.

"What was that?"

Ferb smiled weakly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"We were friends once," he whispered. "This is out of pity."

With a burst of strength and desperation, Ferb swung his foot forward, catching the crazed enemy between the legs. Thomas shrieked in pain and let go of Ferb. The green haired boy rushed forward, wincing in pain as he did so, and punched his adversary directly in the face. Thomas crumpled before him, sobbing more evidently. Ferb looked down at his former friend, breathing heavily through smoke-addled lungs. For a moment he considered dealing with Thomas personally, but almost as soon as the notion entered his head, he dismissed it.

"Come on."

He grabbed Thomas' burning overcoat, and dragged the boy to his feet. He then took a deep breath, and ran towards the ledge at full speed, as the roof finally gave way, crashing down behind them, seemingly hunting them. Dodging the falling debris, Ferb leapt forward, out into the light, keeping a firm hold of Thomas as he did. Behind him, a final defiant ball of flame burst out into the day, catching the two and sending them plummeting painfully down to earth.

Phineas, Candace and Isabella rushed to the scene faster than all of the adults there. Candace reached Ferb first, hugging the boy close, for once, lost for words. Despite feeling Ferb's stinted breathing and beating heart she began to cry nonetheless. She sensed Phineas and Isabella on either side of her, silently weeping. Candace turned to the emergency services. A paramedic rushed forward, taking the unconscious boy from her grasp wordlessly, and laying him down on a stretcher that was brought forward. Isabella and Phineas stayed at Ferb's side, but Candace felt a familiar presence behind her.

"He'll be alright Kevin," said the zebra, materialising out of thin air. "But there are more pressing matters. Look."

Candace saw the creepy, pale child from earlier beginning to stealthily move away from the scene, and felt anger boil inside.

"Aheheh. Minor setback. Get some… medical treatment… Come back… Plan next time. Kill that girl on sight, and… and do the goddamn research…" Thomas coughed some blood onto the grass and continued his slow crawl towards an escape. Only now was he beginning to register the various burns across his body, and they were causing him a great deal of pain. He touched a newly bald section of his head – he had lost all hair on the left hand side of his head. There would be an investigation, he thought, but as long as he escaped, Smile Away would shelter him, and… A sudden sharp pain drove into his side and he was forced over onto his back. A grinning teenage girl stood over him, a great deal of malice on her face.

"I'm looking," she said. "For a six letter word. Here's a hint. It begins with a 'B'."

She leaned forward and pulled Thomas up, and dragged him towards the nearest police van. He struggled pointlessly in her grasp like a fish, spluttering and screaming.

"NO! NO! I'LL KILL YOU ALL YOU MOTHER-!"

Isabella held the van door open, gesturing to it like it was some sort of prize. Thomas' eyes widened.

"No…" he muttered quietly. "I can't have lost… to _girls_… Aheheh… aheh… a…"

He stopped struggling and resigned himself to his fate as Candace unceremoniously threw him into the back of the police van, Isabella slamming the doors behind him with an almighty and final 'thud'. The girls stood in silence for a moment.

"Well I think he's getting better," quipped Isabella brightly.

* * *

Agent P and Doofenshmirtz paused in their brawl, gazing towards some smoke in the distance. The doctor looked confused, and asked quizzically,

"Is that… _our_ fault?"

The platypus looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head. Doofenshmirtz looked relieved.

"Oh good. You have no idea how difficult that would be to explain to the judge. I'm still paying for the case we lost against the noodle factory."

Perry rolled his eyes at his nemesis' ramblings, crossing the room and casually pressing the self-destruct button on the Carve-inator. The clichéd laser winked out of existence with a small exclamation, leaving no traces behind.

"Remember that? The noodles and the tiger…" Doofenshmirtz paused, noticing the space where his laser had previously been. "Hey, wait a minute – Curse you Perry the Platypus!"

Perry tilted his hat politely and jumped off of the balcony, glider opening from his backpack. He soared off into the city, confident in his success for the day. Doofenshmirtz stood still for a moment, completely unsure of what to do. An annoying beeping noise gained his attention, and he looked at his giant cell phone, the source. The phone blinked out a few lights before falling silent, and the screen going blank.

"Aw, come on!" yelled Doofenshmirtz. "This takes like a week to charge! Curse you, modernity!"

* * *

Thomas awoke in the cold, dim light of the van, which was apparently moving along the highway. He shook his head, wincing as he felt the burns.

"Hi there!"

Thomas looked up in shock, to see a large gathering of rather geeky children standing before him. The one who had spoken was a small, bespectacled red-haired boy, who was rather excitedly fidgeting.

"How did you get in here?" demanded Thomas, confident in his superiority.

"We're background types," chorused the nerds.

"Well, I'm not," said a tall, beautiful Goth girl, who Thomas immediately recognised from Ferb's fantasies. "I'm here 'cause you hurt Ferb."

"We're not particularly fond of you," Irving said, menacingly.

"So," said Baljeet.

"We're gonna childishly bully ya," growled Buford, cracking his knuckles. "It's a long journey, and I need to meet my wedgie quota for this year."

Vanessa smiled coldly.

"It's going to hurt. A lot."

"As it should, uh, do," said a teenage boy from the back.

"Aheheh. Ah, sh-!"

Comedic slapping and punching noises interspersed with wincing could be heard emanating from the police van as it sped along towards the station. When it pulled to a stop, the delinquent in custody was discovered to have apparently 'wedgied' himself to the roof, and was muttering deliriously.

* * *

The sun began to set on the town of Danville, as Linda Flynn-Fletcher's car pulled into the driveway, where she just missed her biological son dispose of the last VR pod with an Away-inator. She opened the car door to let out her other son, who was limping on two crutches, but typically, making no noise or complaint.

"Come on Ferb," she encouraged. "It's been an ordeal, but we'll get through this. Let's go see your brother and sister."

They walked into the garden for Ferb to be group-hugged by Phineas, Candace and Isabella. The group stumbled slightly under the weight, and Ferb let out a groan followed by a genuine laugh.

"I'm fine."

"We know," said Phineas. "We're just glad we have you."

The group headed into the garden, where they sank against the familiar tree, seemingly content. If Ferb didn't want to talk about it, they didn't want to ask about it.

Linda smiled lovingly at her children, care overturning her desire for answers. The police had told her that the attacker had come from a nearby borstal that was now under investigation for child abuse. She found some solace in the fact that those responsible would eventually be called to justice. Quite shaken, she headed inside, leaving her children to enjoy at least one part of the day.

Candace looked notably relaxed, calmly lying down on the grass beside the others. Isabella commented on this:

"Candace, it was weird you helped us tidy up today."

Their would-be antagonist smiled. "I already busted someone today kid. My work here is done."

The zebra hovered briefly by Candace's ear, having apparantly finished his book.

"Well done Kevin."

Ferb sat up again, glancing at Phineas and Isabella. I have to atone for this in someway, he thought. This was my fault.

"It's a beautiful sunset," he remarked to Isabella, before standing up, a small smile on his face.

"Ferb, where are you going?" Phineas asked, confused.

"I got stuff to do. Candace? You coming?"

Candace seemed to understand, and the step-brother and sister padded off into the house to find their mother, leaving two childhood friends alone. Phineas gazed into the orange glow in the distance.

"That was weird, huh? Not just Ferb and Candace, this whole day. It seems like, ahh, I don't know… the world's not as great as I thought it was, you know?"

Isabella looked at Phineas, concerned, and he realised that he had tears in his eyes. He stammered slightly, as he looked at this adorable friend who had stuck by him through everything.

"I just… I don't know if there's anything to smile about anymore…" He looked away, staring intently at his shoes.

Silently, Isabella, taking a deep breath, laid her hand on his. The sudden sensation alerted him, and he turned to gaze at the source. Her hand grasped his tightly in a way that was… oddly endearing. Something he had been told in the darkness of the haunted house returned to him. He felt the smile begin to spread.

"Then again," he said, grinning happily. "I'm sure I can find something."

The two sat, hand-in-hand, and watched the sun set.

* * *

_Six years ago,_

"_Come on!" Ferb called over his shoulder as he reached the top of the grassy hill._

"_I'm TRUDGING!" complained Thomas, halfway up and covered in mud. "I never knew people actually trudged!"_

_Ferb sat at the top of the hill patiently, a small smile on his face. Five minutes later, Thomas reached the top, breathing heavily and doubled over. He flopped to the ground, exhausted, and turned onto his back._

"_What did you want to show me?" The voice was mixed with both annoyance and anticipation._

_Ferb merely pointed, and Thomas looked to see the sun rise over the magnificent English countryside, bathing the world in a warm yellow glow. The boy's face softened, his eyes widening in amazement. All traces of venom were gone. The two sat in silence before Thomas said lowly,_

"_This could possibly be the best day ever."_

**The End**

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**Thanks for reading! Adieu, auf wiedershen, farewell.**


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